Peter Gregson enters the AUL Cork Soccer Hall of Fame for 2026

It is usually through underage football that players make their initial breakthrough to the professional ranks. 

Not Peter Gregson. He must have thought his chance had gone when, while working as a civil servant and playing local football, he was spotted by Blackpool.

He served his apprenticeship with Blackpool between 1969 and July 1971, during which time they were relegated and promoted back to the top tier. 

Though his appearances were restricted to the Central League, he did play on occasions alongside World Cup winner Jimmy Armfield and Gordon Milne.

The seaside obviously appealed to him, because when he departed Blackpool in 1971 it was for Southport, where he won a Fourth Division Championship medal in 1972-73.

Peter arrived in Cork in August 1973 and signed a short-term contract with Hibs to help during a temporary goalkeeping crisis. 

He impressed in pre-season friendlies against FA Cup holders Sunderland and Hull City. Hull were no match for a rampant Hibs and Bacuzzi’s team won 2-1, while Sunderland were made to look very ordinary.

Peter picked up an injury against the FA Cup winners and faced a race against time to be fit for the European Cup tie against Banik Ostrava, which was the reason he had been signed. 

He returned for the Presidents Cup final against Waterford but limped off in the closing minutes with a recurrence of the knee injury, forcing Dave Bacuzzi to don the goalkeeper’s jersey.

Dinny Allen and John Brohan trained as stand-in keepers in the event of Peter failing his fitness test in Czechoslovakia.

Hibs’ opponents were a class side and expected to make short work of the Irish team. 

Instead, Hibs produced a masterclass. Playing 4-5-1, they restricted their opponents and Gregson, beaten just once, was heroic in goal.

In the second leg at Flower Lodge, Peter — who had postponed a cartilage operation in order to play — was unable to repeat his performance of the first leg and the gallant Leesiders exited the competition 3-1 on aggregate.

With the return of goalkeepers Joe O’Grady and Declan O’Mahony, Peter was released from his contract. 

Like many of the Anglos, however, he remained in Leeside, captivated by the magic of Cork, as Wiggy, Lawson, Ludzic, McKenna and many others had been.

There was a source of minor wonderment to many in the way the city assimilated Englishmen, Scotsmen and Welshmen. 

Cork seemed to have the ability to hold them, enclose them and engulf them in “Corkness”. 

So many overseas soccer stars fell under its spell that there must have been something in the atmosphere, the place and the people.

After recovering from surgery, Peter signed for Cork Celtic as understudy to Alek Ludzic for the 1974-75 season. 

After nine League games, however, he took over from Ludzic and became first-choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the season, during which Celtic remained in contention for a top-four place until the very end.

In 1975-76 he played with CIE Ath, his new employers’ works team, and at the end of that season jumped several grades to guest with Cork Hibs on their American tour.

It was quite a guest list. Alongside Peter were Bobby Tambling, Shay Brennan, Damian Richardson, Peter Bryan, Carl Humphries, Johnny Matthews and Brian McSweeney. 

All players were paid $105 weekly and, in a novel arrangement, Hibs played all eleven ASL teams during the exhausting three-week series, with points awarded to the Americans counting in the league for their results against them.

It was the last time Cork Hibs were seen in action, as on their return they faced dissolution.

Peter was offered terms by Cork’s two League of Ireland clubs but was by then an established CIE employee. 

As a consequence, the prospect of permanent League of Ireland football was out of the question. He knew which side his bread was buttered.

Having a player still in his prime playing in the Shipping League proved hugely beneficial in promoting the organisation. 

Peter became an automatic choice for their Oscar Traynor representative team and was one of the players mainly responsible for the upturn in their fortunes.

Being a work colleague of countless lads playing with local teams brought its problems. 

Peter somehow managed to facilitate requests from Glasheen in the MSL and Villa Utd in the AUL — that’s what nice gentlemen do. 

His brilliant goalkeeping with Villa throughout 1986 earned a title play-off with champion s Waterloo after the teams finished level at the top of League 1B.

Peter is one of the most popular adopted Corkonians to have remained on Leeside and to have graced the Beautiful Game.

He is a most deserving recipient of the Cork Soccer Hall of Fame Award for 2026.